In this issue...
Are “Rubber Rooms” coming to Fairfax County? - For years New York City spent over $65 million annually to pay the salaries of hundreds of teachers to spend the workday in “rubber rooms,” passing the time while awaiting disciplinary hearings per their union contract. On October 5th the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on whether the County will open itself to the same situation by passing an ordinance to require collective bargaining with select public sector unions on everything from wages to discipline. This will impact your child’s school, your neighborhood’s safety, and make your taxes and public services look more like New York’s or California’s. I highly encourage you to testify on this ordinance at the public hearing at 4:00 PM on October 5th. More details below on what collective bargaining is and how the current ordinance will impact taxpayers and County employees.
Board Poised to Violate its Long-Standing Policy on Carryover Spending – The Board has a long-standing policy of using carryover spending only for non-recurring expenses so they do not add to the following years budget and create a structural deficit. Carryover funds are those funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year. The current Carryover proposal calls for 145 new positions and over $18M in recurring spending. Carryover spending will be the subject of a public hearing at 10:30 AM on October 5th. More details below.
Other News and Information
- Early Voting Happening Now!
- Pfizer COVID-19 Booster Doses Widely Available in Fairfax Health District
- More below
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Are “rubber rooms” coming to Fairfax County Public Schools?
For years New York City spent over $65 million annually to pay the salaries of hundreds of teachers to spend the day in “rubber rooms” passing the time doing anything from napping to playing cards. Protected by a union contract with the city, these teachers were sent to the “rubber rooms” while the process to remove them for alleged misconduct or poor performance stretched out for months to a decade. On October 5th the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on whether the County will open itself to the same situation by passing an ordinance to require collective bargaining with public employee unions on everything from wages to discipline. This will impact your child’s school, your neighborhood’s safety, and make your taxes and public services look more like New York’s or California’s. I highly encourage you to testify on this ordinance at the public hearing at 4:00PM on October 5th. More details below on what collective bargaining is and how the current ordinance will hurt taxpayers and County employees.
Instead of drafting a narrow ordinance, the draft collective bargaining ordinance will require the County to negotiate with public employee unions on pay, benefits, discipline, working conditions and a number of other items.
There are several reasons this ordinance does not make sense. As we have seen from other jurisdictions in the country that have public sector collective bargaining these reasons include:
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It will raise your taxes and increase the cost of services – not because of the pay and benefits for employees but from process administration cost, the reduced efficiencies due to cumbersome work rules and a dragged-out disciplinary process.
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It will reduce the County’s flexibility in providing services – especially in emergencies like the pandemic. During the pandemic we had our teacher’s union (who we do not currently have to contract with) say they would not go back to teaching until ALL students and teachers were vaccinated.
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It will create a conflict of interest - I am not in support of taxpayer funded political action committees which is essentially what public unions become – using taxpayer dollars to argue, lobby and provide support for candidates that agree to spending even more taxpayer dollars. Not including the School Board, the Board of Supervisors has received roughly half a million dollars from unions. SEIU is a national union significantly influencing Fairfax’s ordinance and they have donated to every member of the Board except for me.
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It is bad for our employees –
- The cost of administration, drawn out disciplinary processes, reduced flexibility and other costs will compete with our ability to fund increases for our employees.
- The ordinance has largely been drafted by national unions, not County employees
- It will eliminate the opportunity of our long-standing employee groups such as the Employee Advisory Council and smaller unions like the Hispanic Firefighters to collect dues through payroll deduction – consolidating power in the major national unions and decimating these useful groups.
- As the ordinance is currently drafted, it is harder to get rid of a bargaining unit than to certify it – creating a monopoly and eliminating competition.
- Many of our existing employee groups and unions (non-mandatory) are opposed to the ordinance as currently written as unfair to employees.
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It takes the decisions out of the hands of elected leaders and County staff - This agreement includes binding arbitration which means that if we don’t come to an agreement then the final decision on pay, benefits, discipline, etc. rest with an arbiter. We’ve seen firsthand the negative impact of binding arbitration on Metro from compensation to work rules during the pandemic.
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The process is being unnecessarily rushed – The current version has not even been discussed by the Board in a committee meeting. Board Committee meetings, as I have been lectured to by several Board members, is where we are supposed to do the Board’s work.
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Residents, Taxpayers, and Employees have been left out of the process – During the drafting process there has been no opportunity for public input and only a few employee meetings. Over 80% of our employees are not members in any of our current unions – which we are not currently required to negotiate with.
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We are in the middle of a pandemic – Despite how you feel about collective bargaining for public sector unions, this is not the time to add to the burden of our employees or taxpayers – especially given the local and national labor shortage.
Public collective bargaining is new to Virginia, only recently enabled by the General Assembly without guidance on infrastructure or funding to set up the multi-million-dollar team of lawyers and administrators to run the negotiations. The result of this legislation in other parts of the country is consistent: high taxes and poor public services.
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New York has the highest tax burden in the country – its unionized public worker base and bargaining contracts are some of the strongest nationally. Rubber rooms keeping teachers on payroll and out of the classroom for months to a decade is only one example of the destructive results of those restrictive contracts.
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Wisconsin got rid of public sector collective bargaining back in 2011, which resulted in a $3.6 billion budget deficit recovery and a surplus without increasing taxes.
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More examples are New Jersey, California, Washington, and Michigan where I doubt you would envy their public services or taxes.
The issue of “rubber rooms” in New York highlights a critically damaging component of this legislation, which is that it makes it painstakingly difficult to get rid of ineffective public servants. This includes unqualified teachers, poor police officers, and ineffective office administrators. In Fairfax, we pride ourselves on our incredible workforce, but it’s because we can hire the best and fire those who fail to meet the standards of our residents. The ordinance the Board considers on October 5th will virtually eliminate that quality control. Our original draft ordinance did not include bargaining over discipline, but now that it does, getting rid of ineffective public servants will be an issue we will experience.
Last year, I heard complaints from many of you who saw the influence of the local teachers’ union (that didn’t represent most teachers) advocating to postpone in-person learning while other jurisdictions went back to the classroom. Collective bargaining would mean this kind of influence would be binding through union negotiation, without a public hearing for your input.
Big unions experienced in this legislation have largely driven the drafting of Fairfax’s ordinance, and they are making sure they get the best deal. They are the experts at the table while most locals are not. Smaller, local unions who have effectively served their members in the past, but lack numbers, have largely been overlooked in the development process. Roughly 80 percent of the County workforce is unaffiliated with a union and hasn’t indicated if this is even something it wants. You, the taxpayer, have been left out entirely until the public hearing just before the vote on October 5th. Clearly, the feedback on this ordinance is lacking.
I have long been an advocate for our employees and a fair and balanced compensation package. To attract the best and brightest employees, we need to have a competitive compensation package. Public sector collective bargaining will result in significant issues and costs that will compete with our ability to provide those packages and will instead serve national unions.
I urge you to testify on this ordinance at the 4:00 public hearing on October 5th by signing up here. The pandemic has made testifying at the public hearing easier - you can submit written testimony, call in to testify, submit a video by 9AM the day before the public hearing, or show up and testify in person.
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Board Poised to Violate its Long-Standing Policy on Carryover Spending
The Board has a long-standing policy of using carryover spending only for non-recurring expenses so they do not automatically add to the following year’s budget and create a structural deficit. Carryover funds are those funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year. The current carryover proposal calls for 145 new positions and over $18 million in recurring spending. Carryover spending will be the subject of a public hearing at 10:30 AM on October 5th.
While some of the new spending is pandemic-related which I support, I cannot support the new positions and millions in new spending for “Board initiatives” like public sector collective bargaining, energy strategy positions, and facilities that rightfully should be deferred to our budget process in accordance with Board policy and practice, a policy that helps us keep our AAA Bond rating.
We are in the middle of the pandemic and our tax base is in flux. We do not know the impact the pandemic will have on our commercial tax base as many employees will not return to office jobs. Our residents have seen the values of their homes increase significantly which will shift the tax burden to residents. These same residents have already seen their bills increase 45 percent over the last decade and many are still struggling to recover from the pandemic.
While the County is flush from federal pandemic relief funding it is not appropriate to use those funds to establish new recurring programs that our taxpayers will have to foot the bill for in future budgets. To start these new programs outside of the budget process is unacceptable – unless it is direct pandemic response or emergency funding. Much of the carryover package does not meet those criteria. This funding should be carried over or used to fund one time spending that will lead to efficiencies or reduce future spending.
I urge you to testify on the Carryover package at the 10:30 AM public hearing on October 5th by signing up here. The pandemic has made testifying at the public hearing easier - you can submit written testimony, call in to testify, submit a video by 9AM the day before the public hearing or show up and testify in person.
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Other News and Information
- Early Voting Happening Now!
- Pfizer COVID-19 Booster Doses Widely Available in Fairfax Health District
- Property Taxes Due Soon (October 5)
- Faith & Blue United (October 8-11)
- Fairfax Water Focus Group (October 14)
- Low-Cost Rabies Clinics are Back! (October 17)
- Korean and Vietnamese Speakers Needed as Election Officers
- Same Day Vaccination Appointments Available
- COVID-19 Vaccine Available for 12-15 Year Olds
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Other News and Information
Early Voting Happening Now!
No excuse absentee in person voting for the Virginia statewide and general assembly races has started at three locations in Fairfax County. Additional locations will open on October 21. The Fairfax County Government Center will be open for early voting on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. At the Mount Vernon and North County Governmental Centers, however, voting hours are from noon to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Any registered voter can cast their ballot without needing a reason or excuse. For full details on locations and times, please see this page.
Pfizer COVID-19 Booster Doses Widely Available in Fairfax Health District
Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 28, the Fairfax County Health Department will begin providing booster shots of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to individuals who meet new CDC guidelines for a booster dose. See the full blog from our health department here.
Property Taxes Due Soon (October 5)
Personal property taxes — better known as car taxes — are due on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Bills were mailed this summer, and there are many convenient ways to pay.
It’s quick and easy to pay online — and it’s free when you use an e-check. When paying by e-check, you can schedule when you want the money to be sent from your bank account.
Other ways to pay include by phone (third-party service fee will be applied); call 703-222-6740, TTY 711 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Or return your payment by mail using the envelope that came with your bill.
- Make checks or money orders payable to "County of Fairfax".
- Use envelope provided with your bill or mail to:
- Department of Tax Administration
- 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 223
- Fairfax, VA 22035
- Do NOT send cash.
- Payments postmarked on or before the due date are considered to be on time, regardless of date received.
If you are paying with a check or money order, you can also put your payment in the secure, red drop boxes at the Fairfax County Government Center — or put it in the book drops at these six libraries:
If you decide to pay in person at the Government Center, be prepared to wait in line. However, DTA will offer extended hours for service in person or by phone:
- Monday, Sept. 27, to Friday, Oct. 1: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 4, and Tuesday, Oct. 5: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Faith & Blue United (October 8-11)
Lights On, Prayers Up means just that -- Let's start a weekend of prayer. Showing participation by turning on your outside lights and hanging the poster in your window.
Faith & Blue was launched to facilitate safer, stronger, more just and unified communities by directly enabling local partnerships among law enforcement professionals, residents, businesses and community groups through the connections of local faith-based organizations. The initiative aims to re-calibrate police-community relations through solutions-focused, in-person, socially distanced and/or virtual activities that are organized jointly by faith-based or other community groups and law enforcement agencies.
Scan the QR Code for more information.
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Fairfax Water Focus Group (October 14)
Fairfax Water wants to hear from you! Fairfax Water is reviewing its customer service practices to ensure that they support customers and the community effectively. As part of this effort, they are hosting virtual focus groups with residential and commercial customers in our community to understand and explore your experiences with Fairfax Water.
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Low-Cost Rabies Clinics Underway! (October 17)
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Korean and Vietnamese Speakers Needed as Election Officers
Fairfax County is in need of election officers who can speak Korean or Vietnamese to serve in the Nov. 2 gubernatorial election. Officers are especially needed in Annandale, Centreville, Chantilly and Falls Church areas. Apply at this link.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Available for 12-15 Year Olds
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Email
Office
(703) 451-8873
Website
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